The Lonely Doll, Dare Wright

From The Secret Life of Squirrels, we now turn to the secrets of Dare Wright. Her life’s story and life’s work, when viewed together, are crazy interesting to say the least. Almost a dozen of Wright’s books (1957-1981) form The Lonely Doll series. It's in her first that a papa teddy bear adopts a lonely doll named, Edith. They and his teddy-bear son become a family, and the subsequent books share their many adventures. The series has, truly, captivating photographs and timeless covers which live in generations of childhood memories. Yet, legitimate concerns keep The Lonely Doll from remaining a children's bedtime staple. Successful women from all aspects of the art world--lifelong, Lonely Doll fans--shared their current conflicting feelings about the series with theThe New York Times . They described its gender stereotypes and parenting approach as uncomfortably out of step with their present beliefs. Understandably, any opinions on gender do’s and don’ts, vary and change with time and from person to the next. My book’s back-cover was once called sexist, because my character’s underwear was partially showing. In the image my character's locks of hair, unexpectedly, swirled in the wind, and, to me, the rest that formed the picture seemed normal, three-year old behavior. But with Wright, there was purpose and regularity as she posed Edith in short outfits and ruffled underwear—often bending over things. When Edith is bad, Wright even has her spanked, and this form of punishment appears in more than one book—not easily overlooked.

As for The Lonely Doll’s mood, it can be as grey or as dark as the tones of it’s black-and-white images. Edith’s world is a far cry from a Barbi-glass-half-full one. In a 2006 Boston Globeinterview, Wright’s biographer, Jean Nathan, sums up how The Lonely Doll gained such popularity :

Dare Wright knew exactly what kids care—and worry—about most—misbehaving. Breaking the rules. Wishing their parents wouldn't leave them home, and worrying they wont ever come back.​Before Wright got behind her Rolleiflex camera as a magazine, freelance photographer, she was modeling in front of one. Later, in creating her first book, Wright transformed her childhood doll into the model as she took on the part of photographer. Wright converted Edith from brunette to blonde and styled her as a young version of Wright’s adult self. Yet, Wright’s own model looks did not ensure happiness. Nathan’s,The Secret Life Of The Lonely Doll: The Search For Dare Wright (2004,) painstakingly documents her psychological baggage. Wright, a lonely girl herself, suffered parental and sibling separation. As a child, she was forced by her mother to live the lie that she had no father or brother—that Edie, was a widow and not a divorcée—and that Wright was her only child. Her mother Edie was a successful painter of aristocrats and statesmen, which, probably, helped develop Wright’s artistic eye. But the way Edie controlled the rest of her daughter's life stunted her maturation. As a result, Wright battled bulimia, anorexia, and later alcoholism. She showed little qualms about being nude in a photograph or on a beach, but when Wright's relationships reached the point of physical intimacy, she ran—sometimes literally. Though Wright was known to be charming, flirtatious, and often courted by men, she’s said to have remained a virgin almost till the end. Late in life, in a tragic turn, she was raped by one of the many Central Park drifters she often brought home for drinks and conversation.

The Secret Life well documents Wright’s main strength—her creative vision; she sewed and designed most of her characters’ clothes, styled their hair, applied the makeup, created its sets, photographed the images, and developed them all in her NYC apartment. For those curious, Nathan assured me everything known about Wright’s photography was included in her book. The only question remaining is what should become of the photographs today? Do we toss the doll out with the bathwater and never again open the books? With regard to children, it’s for those who guide them to decide whether to share them or not. But adults, one hopes, will continue to indulge in Wright’s art as part of her life's story. For us, it seems safe to do so without fear of succumbing to its many obvious flaws.

​Hear an interview with Jean Nathan.Three Lonely Doll books were re-issued in 2004. The rest can be found through second-hand dealers.